Head of Change and Customer Services Barry Stubbs departs Homebase ahead of virtual lights being switched off

Barry Stubbs is departing Homebase where he served as Head of Change and Customer Services and spent an epic 37 years.

The DIY chain collapsed into administration last year, leaving many workers facing an uncertain future despite the bulk of its stores being purchased by the owner of The Range, CDS Superstores.

In a LinkedIn post, Stubbs said: "After 37 years, I am finally walking away from Homebase, just leaving one person to switch the virtual lights off next week (thank you Jason). The last few months have been without a doubt some of the hardest that I have to work through, trying to resolve customer queries without the tools and infrastructure that have been built up over many years, and knowing that in many cases we couldn't do anything but apologise."

He added: "The customer services team worked their collective sock off during these last few months, and, it has been good knowing that they have all have departed to new opportunities, a special thanks to Gemma Rayner and Caroline Quick who stuck it out to the end - it does take a lot of perseverance getting online each day, but the mountain of issues has gradually got smaller, and whilst not all customers will have appreciated the efforts that have been undertaken on their behalf we can leave knowing that we have done our best by them."

Stubbs concluded: "I have been fortunate in seeing the company change from manually priced products (yes, using Meto Guns) and manually calculated stock balances through to the EPoS/auto replenishment systems, and indeed for the last few years playing a small part in introducing these systems, but eventually the pace of change outstripped our ability to keep pace - we had the ideas but not the time and money."

"Retail is constant change and the retailers of tomorrow have got to offer a better and more connected journey, and one that is more than just transactional, I look forward to seeing what the future brings."

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Customer service will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.